Rising Tides
by Jagsrule5
Summary: "The tides can sometimes become fickle, rising and falling with a change of the moon. But we're not like the tides. I promise, we won't fall." A short collection of Toby/Hikari drabbles. 10/50
1. Creating Ripples

_Creating Ripples_

The lure bobbled lazily on top of the clear river water, creating tiny ripples that broke through the near transparent surface.

Toby watched the bait with muted interest, one hand planted firmly on the pole and the other propping his head up as he tried ineffectively to stay awake. It was a beautiful spring day, and he would much rather spend it dozing under a shady tree than fishing in the blistering sunlight.

The water wheel broke through his thoughts, groaning and screeching noisily, as if in protest to his wistful ponderings.

He nodded in reluctant agreement. The water wheel was right… He knew that he didn't have time for such a thing; as the fish became scarcer, his days became more tedious. Toby didn't have time to waste away anymore. Most of his days were spent patiently waiting on the bank of the river for one of the few remaining fish to draw close to his bait.

Of course, Toby didn't mind that at all.

You could even say that Toby was living his dream. The easy, relaxed lifestyle of a fisherman had always appealed to him, even as a small child.

However, there was something going on in this quaint little island that made his job increasingly difficult… Toby had just assumed that the gods were upset with the island for their apparent ignorance of the deities. But what did he know? He was just a lowly fisherman, living his life day by day… Surely someone would find a solution to this crisis before he could.

Letting out an idle yawn, he stretched his free arm and let it fall limply to his side.

The river's current was abruptly beginning to quicken, as any good fisherman knew was a sign of incoming fish. Toby perked up, putting both hands on the pole in anticipation.

This was it…his first catch of the day.

He could feel the soft patter of a poor, unsuspecting fish as it tested the bait cautiously. The subtle 'plunk' of the lure gained his full attention as he waited for the final bite. Fishing wasn't just pulling and reeling, after all. For Toby, it was an art.

_Tap, tap._

Just a bit longer…

_Tap, tap…_

Soon, the fish would snag the line, and then all he had to do was-

"Hello?"

"Wuh?" Toby turned to look inquisitively at his new guest. The voice didn't sound familiar, but then, he could never be sure.

He saw a spot of brown peeking from around the corner and smiled. It must be the new farmer everyone was talking about. Before he could say hello, Toby felt the familiar tug of the rod as his grip tightened instinctively.

_Tap, tap, PLUNK…_

Both sets of eyes snapped to the fishing lure sitting in the water.

The fish! It…got away…

The woman looked frantically between the end of the rod and Toby's stunned reaction. "Oh my goddess, I'm so sorry! I really didn't-"

Toby held up his hand to stop her, still gazing thoughtfully at the broken line. Nothing a little more string couldn't fix… although, he knew that he was due for a new one anyway.

He turned to the young maiden, smiling his easygoing grin and shaking his head. "It's alright. Rainbow trout are common around these parts, anyways."

She turned bright crimson, like a freshly cooked salmon. "B-but…Your rod…"

Toby looked to his broken line and shrugged. No use getting upset about the past, after all. "I was looking for a new one anyway. It's no trouble…" Suddenly remembering his manners, he stuck out his hand in a friendly gesture. "I'm Toby, by the way."

She grinned and took his hand, shaking it once before dropping her arms to her side. "Hikari. It's a pleasure to meet you, Toby."

He smiled, deciding at that instant that he would try to make Hikari turn pink again. Although, he determined that just seeing her another time would suffice.

Maybe it was intuition…maybe it was the goddess, herself…but something in the very back of his mind told Toby that there were going to be many more conversations to come…

And he was definitely okay with that.

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><p><strong>I don't know much about fishing, so if I made any mistakes regarding that, please let me know! Reviews are loved :)<strong>


	2. Odd Colors

_Odd Colors_

"Well? What do you think?" Hikari did another twirl and beamed at the tranquil face of her favorite fisherman. Her hair, no longer the rich cocoa colored bob that he had grown fond of, was now dyed a bright blonde.

"Uh…" He stared downward in stunned silence as she shook her blonde tresses for the third time today.

"Ah, well…it's really…_something_." He mumbled, giving her a hesitant smile.

Hikari's elated expression sagged when she saw his uneasy grin. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow skeptically. "What? You got something against blondes?"

"N-no. Its just… so strange seeing you like this."

Hikari pressed her lips together in an attempt to control her growing smile. After their day-trip to the city, Kathy had managed to convince Hikari that dying her hair would be a 'nice change of pace'. She learned two things that day: never trust Kathy with any decision whatsoever, and never agree to a three dollar hair dye.

Of course, she knew as soon as she looked in the mirror that it was hideous. But she couldn't pass the opportunity to mess with people, at least before it washed out.

Especially Toby.

Before Hikari could reveal her prank, Toby raised one eyebrow in faint amusement. "Well, it _is_ sort of a strange color…"

…

…On second thought, she supposed it was somewhat ironic that _Toby_, of all people, was lecturing her on hair coloring…

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><p><strong>Seriously, what's up with Harvest Moon and hair colors? It's like they're all on a strict diet of skittles and rainbows. XD Hope you enjoyed it. I did! Oh, and review, too.<strong>


	3. Slits

_Slits_

They were slits. Not devious and cunning, like a villain's eyes, but soft and gentle. Not quite reminiscent of a snake, and yet smooth and blithe.

They gave a person a feeling of warmth and distinctiveness, just by gazing into them. Like a newborn, not yet opening their eyes for sensitivity to the light, they were innocent in their own way. Childlike, even.

The natural slant of the eyes gave the impression that the bearer was holding a perpetual smile. That all troubles would melt away when you were with them. That nothing else mattered but you and him.

Those paper-thin wedges, when rarely opened, were deep, sea foam green like the sea that he so enjoyed. When he gazed wistfully at the rising and falling water, you would always wonder what unfathomable thoughts were held in those eyes. Those peaceful, soothing eyes.

They were a mystery, only revealed at the most intimate of occasions.

They were slits. And Hikari loved them very much.

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><p><strong>I love Toby's eyes. They're just so...snakey? ^^ Reviews make Jag very happy.<strong>


	4. Relaxing

_Relaxing_

"-And then Rodeo got sick, so I had to sprint to Horn Ranch. But I forgot my gift for Hannah, so I had to _run_ back and get it." Hikari sighed, regaining her breath that was lost at about mid-rant.

Toby sat quietly, patiently, as she retold the narrative of her busy day. It seemed silly to him, being so energetic and wound up about everything. But, of course, that was the way Hikari had always operated.

"Have you ever tried…relaxing?"

She looked to him with tired eyes and gave one short burst of laughter. "Yeah, sure. And let all of my animals and crops die? Mhm. I don't think so."

Toby just nodded and smiled with her.

The next morning, Hikari wobbled sluggishly from her tiny cabin and walked over to her small field. As she began filling her watering can, she noticed that, quite curiously, the first row had already been watered. And the next row. And the next, as well.

All of her crops, whether still a seedling or tiny sprout, were freshly watered and harvested.

Smiling a bit despite herself, Hikari ran to the chicken coop, where her precious poultry were waiting for their meals.

The chickens looked up at her, their faces content as they continued to peck at their troughs, brimming with feed.

The rest of the animals, too, were completely full and satisfied, their various products packed into the small shipping crate in the corner. There Toby stood, brush in hand, stroking Rodeo with his trademark calm, peaceful expression.

"Surprise," He said coyly. As if it was no big deal that he had made Hikari's day.

"Toby," She reasoned to herself, shaking her head.

He gave an uncharacteristically impish grin, "Do you want to try relaxing now?"

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><p><strong>Ehehe I love fluff. Review?<strong>


	5. Dread

_Dread_

Hikari was not looking forward to this.

"Okay, now just throw the line out and wait for a bite."

Hikari was _really_ not looking forward to this.

"Do we really have to do this, Toby?" Hikari moaned in a last, ditch effort to forgo this lesson. "I'm hungry. Can't you catch one for me?"

"If you really want one that badly, you could just buy a fish," Toby scoffed, his hands wrapped around her rod.

Hikari turned to glare at the blue clad fisherman. "You know that the shop is closed on Mondays."

"It's just fishing," Toby shrugged and smiled at her nervous expression, "I do it every day."

"But-"

"Now, just throw the line in and wait."

Grumbling to herself, Hikari decided that she would at least _try _to make an effort. After all, fishing was Toby's life. And what kind of a friend would she be if she didn't try to share that?

But fish were just so…_boring. _And slimy, to boot. Oh, and their _eyes_… Hikari shuddered, imagining the slippery, oily feel of the scales brushing up against her skin as she gripped the pole a bit tighter…

_SPLASH_

"Waahh! Get it _away!_"

"…Hikari?"

The farmer cinched her eyes shut. "Y-yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

Hikari looked up, immediately releasing her steel grip on Toby's jacket and stepping away, her face flushed. Toby gave her a strange look but shrugged it off, holding out the freshly caught fish with an elated smile.

He thrust the fish forward, she took a step back.

Hikari didn't like fishing… Hikari was afraid of fish.

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><p><strong>Heh. I like this one. Even if it isn't romantic at all. Review? :)<strong>

**Edit: Had to change 'Sunday' to 'Monday.' Wow, I feel stupid! XD Thank you, dbzfan8!**


	6. Games

_Games_

Slowly, leisurely, Toby made his way up the path to Hikari's farm, his pole grasped firmly in hand as he strolled. After their recent fishing blunder, the blue haired fish fanatic had decided that he would attempt to coax Hikari out for _one _more lesson.

It would be a shame if she were to avoid this fantastic pastime because of one measly incident, after all.

As he stepped onto the lush pastures of Symphony Ranch, Hikari's clever continuation of the island's 'musical theme', Toby was able to spot Hikari sprawled on the steps of her front porch with a…was it a book…? Toby couldn't be sure.

Hikari looked up from her device, a small handheld gaming system to be exact, and smiled in welcoming the tranquil fisherman.

"What's that?" Toby inquired as he walked up, making to sit next to the captivated rancher. He craned his neck, only able to see bits and pieces of the game's shifting pixels.

Hikari gave a mischievous grin. "Nothing! Just a…_game…_that I bought…"

Toby frowned, knowing that tone of voice all too well. "What _kind _of game?" He asked, instantly skeptical.

The farmer laughed at his anxiety, her eyes never once leaving the flashing box. "A fishing game!" She chirped, smashing the miniature buttons with overwhelming force, her tongue hanging out idly as she focused all of her attention on the diminutive screen. A colorful casing was left casually on the ground, the title: _River King._

Toby was taken aback. A game…for fishing…? It seemed wrong to him. Games couldn't portray the heart racing feeling you get when you feel that first bite. It couldn't replicate the sense of satisfaction you get when you are able to show your fish proudly, gradually getting smarter, wiser.

But when the fisherman expressed his feelings on the subject, Hikari only scoffed, not even bothering to look up from her current obsession.

"If you want a fish _that _badly," mocked the rancher, "then why don't you just go _buy _one?"

Toby knew those words. It was the exact thing he had said only a few days ago, only twisted around to suit her needs. The fisherman shook his head, wondering how such a clever line could have possibly been used against him. Maybe, Toby determined, he would just have to learn to keep his mouth shut.

Or maybe he needed to stop coming up with such cool phrases…

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><p><strong>Random fact: the <em>River King <em>series was produced and localized by the same companies as Harvest Moon! I just thought that was pretty cool... :)**

**Review...?**


	7. Jealousy Pt1

_Jealousy Pt. 1_

"Jin?"

"Nope."

"…Calvin?"

"Ew, no. Have you _seen _his chest hair?"

"Hm…"

Toby ran his fingers through his hair absentmindedly, his lower lip jutting out in contemplation.

"Well, what about…"

"Forget it! I'm not gonna tell you!" Hikari, by now blushing furiously, gave a frustrated growl, "I don't know where you came up with that idea in the first place…"

The unflustered fisherman shrugged, his shoulders brushing up against the wildflowers that were scattered across all of Flute Fields. He brought his hands back behind his head and turned his attention to a drifting cloud that, to him, looked very much like a brown trout.

"I can tell," said Toby, sounding very matter-of-fact, "by the way you're so cheerful, lately. People are only _that_ cheerful when they're in love."

"But what about-"

"Except Maya, of course," he amended.

The young rancher let out a gust of air, nervously scratching her forehead with one hand. "Okay, well… Still, that doesn't explain… You see, I… Ugh! Can we just drop it?"

Toby froze for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders once again. "Hmph. Sure…"

There was a pause in the conversation, as both parties fell deep into thought.

"Although, Jin does have some pretty nice hair," Hikari muttered.

In that moment, something inside of Toby… _snapped._

The irate fish fanatic didn't know what to call this feeling that was rising up inside him, erupting through his chest and into his heart like a volcanic explosion. He wasn't mad, and yet he still felt the sudden urge to punch a wall… Toby worried, for a brief moment, if he should go to the clinic to see Jin.

But for some reason, thinking this only made the feeling grow worse…

Hikari twirled her hair around one finger as she looked up at the sky, still debating whether she should attempt to ask the stern doctor about his hair care secrets. Oblivious to the fuming young man beside her, the startled farmer fell into shock when she happened to glance at the fisherman, seeing the expression on her best friend's face. She couldn't believe it.

Toby was…angry…?

No. In actuality, Toby wasn't angry at all… Without completely realizing it himself, he was…

_Jealous_.

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><p><strong>Meh. I kinda want to rip this chapter to shreds and feed it to my puppy... The wording just seemed a bit awkward to me. Ah, well. ^-^; Part two is coming soon, and this time Hikari gets a little abuse... *maniacal laughter*<strong>

**I apologize to any Calvin fans that happen to be reading this... I was debating between putting Calvin's chest hair or Chase's hairpins, buuut I figured Chase was probably more popular of the two (and the less people angry with me, the better! ;D)**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! You guys are DA BOMB! XD**


	8. Jealousy Pt2

_Jealousy Pt. 2_

The farmer's eyes narrowed as she watched the current scene intently, keeping a close watch from her spot behind the bin of tuna. She was going to reek of fish for weeks, but right now it didn't matter… The only matter of importance at the moment was for her to stop this…this _outrage. _

They were talking in the corner, Toby's arm leaning casually over the side of the railing as he conversed with the bubbly brunette. Hikari gritted her teeth. Why did she have to come _every _Wednesday? It wasn't like Toby actually _liked _talking to her all the time…right?

From behind the counter, Hikari noticed that Ozzie was staring curiously at her hiding place, his expression only described as one of utter confusion. The determined rancher threw him a glare, hopefully one that said 'tell anyone, and I'll make sure no one gets the _chance _to see your eyes.'

He got the message, and quickly reached down to clean the already-immaculate countertop, careful to avoid eye contact with the feisty young woman.

Hikari returned to her view of the couple, internally debating what she could do to break up the conversation. It wasn't as though she _hated _Renee… really, she didn't. But whenever she saw the two of them talking, the farm girl giggling and batting her eyelashes in a way that Hikari deemed a bit more than was necessary, she felt the undeniable urge to dropkick her baby faced self all the way to Toucan Island.

But it was nothing personal.

"Hey, Miss Farmer… What'cha doin'?"

Hikari jumped, quickly clasping a hand over her mouth in time to stop a startled yelp from escaping. Paolo looked down at the guilty looking mole.

"Ah, P-Paolo! Nothing, nothing. Just go do… whatever you do in your room all day."

Hikari shooed the youngster with a hand, then turned her attention back to the conversing pair, just in time to hear Renee give a light giggle that sent chills up the fuming farmer's arms. "Yeah! Moozers really is a great cow. He came in second at the Animal Festival last spring!"

'_To me…_' Hikari thought with just a hint of smugness.

"Are you spying? Is that what you're doing?"

Hikari grimaced, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Sighing, she turned back to the curious child.

"Shhh! I'm not spying! I'm…_observing._"

Paolo cocked his head to the side. "Uncle Ozzie says that spying is wrong… It's an evasion of privacy, or something."

"Invasion," Hikari corrected, then stopped herself, "Hey! Listen, kid! I'm _not _spying!"

"Are too."

"Are not!"

"Are too."

"Are _not!_"

He only shrugged. "Fine, lets ask someone, then! Hey, Uncle-!" the youth bellowed, making everyone present turn their heads to face him. The girl's face turned as red as a shining beet, her eyes trained on the startled couple staring only a few feet away.

"Gah! Shhh!" Hikari scrambled to her feet cupping a hand over the excited child's mouth before any more words could be uttered.

"Hikari…?"

The mortified rancher swiveled around, making eye contact with a baffled Toby. Her eyes frantic, cheeks flushed, Hikari took a moment to smooth her hair and clothing before speaking. "Oh, Toby! Didn't think I'd be seeing you here…!"

"At my… home?"

The befuddled blue lover cocked an eyebrow, still not quite understanding what exactly was going on. He would have never realized what Hikari was _actually_ thinking.

Because she didn't come for the fish, or for a casual stopover… She came because it was Wednesday, and she knew that Renee always visited on Wednesdays. She came because she didn't want her best friend in any other company than her own.

Hikari came because she was, without a doubt, irrationally, nonsensically, fully and completely _jealous._

* * *

><p><strong>Woo! Finally finished with this chapter! *high five self* (would that constitute as a clap? o.o)<strong>

**Anywho, thanks for reading! Review...?**


	9. Both A Bit Strange

_Both A Bit Strange_

"I just don't know, Finn! I mean, what if she has a huge wart on her nose… Or tries to boil me alive, or something!"

"B-boil you…? You think she'd really do that?" The tiny sprite peeked over the rancher's shoulder, staring straight into the empty mass of black spanned out in front of him.

Hikari could only tug at the end of her sleeve nervously, her eyes wide with fear. "Maybe we should just… save the green bell for later."

"But Hikari!" Finn started, immediately protesting, as always.

"But _what, _Finn? Would _you _like to go to the witch's swamp, instead?"

Finn squeaked, a miniature bead of sweat making its way down his face, "Wh- why don't we just do it together? On the count of three, maybe?"

"Okay," nodded Hikari, bracing herself, "Okay, yeah, that sounds good. Let's just get this over with."

"Alright… Uh, one."

"…Two…"

"T-t-th-!"

"Hey, Hikari, is that you?"

The farmer stopped with one foot in the air, slowly craning her head backward to meet a set of slanted, though thoroughly confused, set of eyes. She grinned sheepishly.

"Toby! Fancy meeting you here! Heh. I was just-"

"Talking to yourself?" he reasoned with a cocked brow, standing at the forest's entrance in lax pose.

"N-no!" she assured him quickly. Hikari stood staring for a moment, trying to think of something- anything- to say that _wouldn't_ make her sound absolutely nuts. Obviously she couldn't say she was talking to herself… "I was, uh… Talking to a… spriiiite?"

The words rushed out of her mouth without a second thought, and it took a moment of Toby staring awkwardly for Hikari to comprehend what she had just said. She internally groaned when she realized that this only made her sound _crazier_.

"I'm_ technically_ not a sprite," corrected Finn indignantly.

"Same dif," Hikari grumbled back.

Toby looked between Hikari and the empty space above her, looking about ready to run at any moment. "A… sprite?" he tasted the word aloud, "You mean like the Harvest Sprites?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Like the ones that serve the Harvest Goddess?"

"Well, he's a sprite in training, but more or less."

He looked around. "I don't see anything…"

"Oh, um, there's a reason for that!" she covered hastily, only making Toby's quiet disbelief grow. Hikari's face turned redder and redder as she stuttered a fantastic- if not totally unbelievable- explanation to her amused fishing friend. If he hadn't thought her crazy before, she was sure that his opinion would change completely after her story.

"So let me see if I've got this," Toby concluded after she had finished, watching Hikari slumped over and out of breath, "You're on a mission to ring the five elemental bells with your magical, flying sprite companion, Finn, in order to call upon the Harvest God and restore nature's power throughout Casanet. And in order to do this, you need to journey to the center of the forest, where an evil witch with a giant wart is keeping the green bell, needed to restore the power of the wind? But she's going to boil you alive…?"

"Well, the last part's speculation." The fatigued farmer admitted with a sigh, but perked up when she realized that his voice had a bit of a teasing tone to it, "But that's not the point! Don't you think I'm absolutely bananas? The strangest person you've ever met…? I mean, I-!"

"Sometimes," blurted Toby, unintentionally making Hikari's face droop. He continued hurriedly, "…Sometimes… I like to strike up conversations with the fish I catch. You know, tell them about my day? When I'm stressed."

Finn quirked an eyebrow, perplexed, but Hikari could only smile. She raised a hand to scratch the back of her neck absently. "That _is_ pretty weird."

Toby grinned. "Sure is."

"Well… I keep a panda cub and a penguin in my house." She countered playfully, noting with relief that Toby didn't seem at all affected by the news.

"Ah."

"...Named Lenny and Moe."

"Touché."

Finn's eyes went back and forth between the pair, very much confused by the direction the conversation had turned.

"It sounds to me like you're both complete wackjobs!" the fairy huffed, crossing his arms.

And maybe, Hikari thought, looking up at Toby's face, Finn was absolutely right. But that was okay.

Because they could always be wackjobs... _together._

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><p><strong>So I've been noticing a surge in Toby fanfics lately, and I just wanted to say that I'm LOVIN' IT! ^o^ Keep up the Toby love, guys!<strong>

**Thanks for reading; hope you've enjoyed! :)**


	10. Worth A Thousand Words

Worth A Thousand Words

Hikari put a finger to her chin, concentrating deeply on the task laid out before her. She opened her mouth suddenly, but drew it closed when she decided her answer was just plain stupid.

"_Really, how hard can it be?_" She thought to herself in exasperation, "_There must be something I can use…_"

Then it came to her, the word forming on her lips almost involuntarily.

"Silkworm!" she concluded, quite pleased with herself. She laid her head in her hands and gave a contented sigh, glad that her moment of trauma was finally over.

"Mackerel," Toby answered shortly after. And he was smiling… the smug sort of smile that Hikari had always thought made him look sort of rebellious, in a way.

The flustered farmer shot up from her place, her face disbelieving, giving the table a deafening smack. "No fair!" she insisted, "You're a cheater!"

"Oh, am I?" responded the man, meaning Toby, him being the only other human in the room. Just Hikari and Toby, plus Hikari's new white cat, Mitts, who was purring contently from its place on the bed. Finn was there too, watching them go back and forth with a sort of amazed expression. Toby was trying to draw her anger out, almost as if he was having fun with it. But Hikari found nothing funny about this situation.

She didn't like losing… Even if it was just a silly word game.

"Yes," she sounded resolute in her answer, "You are. Only using the names of different fish… I can't play this game with smart people."

"You've just been playing with Luke too much," Toby concluded, shaking his head, "There's only one rule to this game: you must start the next word with the last letter of the previous word. You're a sore loser, is the problem."

All this stated so calmly really made Hikari's blood boil. Sometimes his peaceful presence was just too… nice? Nice... but not nice at all. It hardly made any sense.

"Who said I was a loser? You haven't won anything yet," she grumbled.

But it was true… Maybe she _was _too accustomed to using Luke's horrendous vocabulary to her advantage, "tree," "axe," and "bandana" being all of the few things he could say in a row before repeating. Annoying, maybe, but not as annoying as a know-it-all…

Still, in a way, it _did _keep her entertained.

"Lettuce."

Toby raised his eyebrows, pondering this for a moment. "Eel."

"Another L?" Now Hikari was certain that he was doing this just to aggravate her. Which, now that she thought about it, wasn't much like Toby at all. Maybe it was real skill? Nah…

The rancher sighed, giving up arguing, "Okay… Lavender."

"Rockfish."

"Hibiscus."

"Steelhead."

"Duckling."

Now she had him cornered… There was no way he'd come up with a fish whose name started with "G". It just wasn't possible. He had exhausted all of his knowledge, she was sure of it. Hikari was now certain that she would come out on top.

Toby took a moment to think, a horrible, tense silence cutting through the air.

"Goby." He replied simply.

This was the breaking point for Hikari. She threw her hands up in the air, knocking an amused Finn back into the wall a few feet away, where he crumbled to the ground in a small pile of pixie dust. "That's it! No more fish! I'm tired of this."

"F-Fine," Toby relented, a bit taken aback by the woman's sudden outburst, "No more fish, then. I'll think of something else, I promise."

She put her hands down, now satisfied. "Good."

After taking a full minute to decide, which, to Hikari's delight, was considerably longer than his usual response time, Toby finally opened his mouth to reply. But Hikari did see something a little… _off. _He looked a bit more anxious than usual, though it was hard to tell (Toby was always fairly calm), and met the farmer's eyes with such intensity that it was hard for her to look back. It might have been her imagination, but Hikari could see a slight tinge of pink fade onto Toby's face.

"Gorgeous," he said after a moment, seemingly pleased with his choice.

Hikari froze, looking down suddenly, pretending to examine her nail beds casually as she mulled the answer over. Gorgeous…? It was probably the only word he could come up with that wasn't fish-related in any way. Yeah, that was probably it…

But if it was 'just a word'… why was she so _happy _about it?

"Erm, well…"

Maybe it was a scare tactic, designed to throw her off her game and thrust Toby into the lead… It was a clever plan, but there was no way she would give in _that _easily. The farmer shook it off, determined to ignore it.

"S-Sunflower."

Toby smiled, but it was softer this time.

"Radiant."

"…Turnip."

"Perfect."

"Er... Tea Leaf."

"Farmer."

"Radish."

"Hikari…"

Hikari stopped. Clearly she was overwhelmed, the fact that her blush deepened to the point where her entire face became one giant beet was proof enough of that.

"_I don't know what he's trying to pull, but…_"

"Well? Have you thought of anything?"

The girl in question tried to say something, she really did, but nothing she considered seemed to fit right with the situation. A mixture of shock, confusion, and maybe a bit of something else...

"Okay then," Toby said decidedly, "If you have no answer… I guess that means I won?"

And watching him grin, Hikari thought she had never before witnessed a more satisfied smile than the one plastered onto Toby's face.

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><p>I like the teasing Toby! So entertaining to write for. ^w^<p>

I'm sure you're all aware that these two lovebirds are not going to be in the casual sorta-friend zone forever. Things will get a little more serious in some ways, but there will still be a few light, casual chapters. Just thought I should pass on the message... These aren't called friendship drabbles, after all! xD

Alright then, thanks for reading, and an extra big thanks to those who review and fave. See you all next time! :)


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